Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Just starting out

You are correct that the hybrid or tangent ogive of the Classic Hunters is supposedly easier to tune than the VLD. They are designed for loading to whatever magazine length and picking a powder charge. That said, given the OP's 200 yd shot likelihood, there's no reason to go with Bergers in a 7 Mag. I'd not recommend them to average hunters because average hunters don't generally understand terminal ballistics very well, and Bergers have some limitations in that arena. Partitions and other tough bullets don't. That's why I'd recommend Partitions, purchased cheaply from SPS, to a guy just starting out, taking short shots with a magnum, on big animals.

Yes, powder charge and the distance the bullet is off the lands.

I generally start at .030" off the lands and seldom have much reason to change that.

Modern temperature compensated powders are much better. With some older powders, a change of 30 F in barrel and ammunition temperature is equivalent to a change of 1 grain of powder. So trying to fine tune those down to .1 grain is an exercise in futility... unless, of course, your are controlling temperature down to plus or minus 3 degrees F.

I don't shoot 7mm Mag, but I suspect that a 160 grain Partition over Retumbo would be a winning combination. Somebody that has actually tried that combination can give you a better report than I can.

There are a multitude of ways to do it right. Enjoy the trip.

How many man hours are consumed (wasted?) by handloaders meticulously weighing charges for typical deer rifles and shots inside 300 yards?

The odds of a miss/wounding are substantially lowered with the 1” rifle, all else being equal! My math may not be perfect.... but I bet that it’s realistically close! memtb

It's hard to go wrong with a Partition for elk. The Barnes TTSX is another good choice, and there are others.

I have no doubt that your rifle will stabilize a 160 grain bullet. I shoot them in my 7x57, which has a lot less case capacity, and they work fine.

You'll get disagreement on this, and sometimes I get heat for it:

A standard cup and core bullet will open as long as it impacts at at least 2100 FPS. Some cup and cores will open at 1800 FPS. Standard cup and core bullets tend to start to break apart at about 2800 FPS. Anywhere between their minimum opening speed and 2800 FPS, they will produce a practically constant 14 inch wound channel.

Switching to a Partition or a TTSX gets you reliable opening at 1800 FPS, and the bullet will hang together at whatever speed you can push it to. In their operating range, these bullets will produce a practically constant 16 inch wound channel.

As long as the impact speed is in the designed operating window, you'll get essentially the same length wound channel, determined by bullet construction, give or take hitting one of the very large bones.

Additional speed gets you more range, not more killing power.

Most of the guys I know favor heavier bullets, which seem to survive contact with one of the large bones better than a lighter bullet. But my hobby is ballistics and target shooting, and you'll get better advice on that from someone who is a better hunter than I am.

For first timer I wouldn't be screwing around with a Berger bullet. [bleep] will have you pulling your hair out before it's all said and done. Get some partitions or hornady 162. The hornady bullet by far one of the more easier bullets to load for.

How many man hours are consumed (wasted?) by handloaders meticulously weighing charges for typical deer rifles and shots inside 300 yards?

Mathman, Wasted......is pretty subjective! For those that enjoy.....the payoff is much like any other hobby. You throw money at it! But if 300 yards is the reasonable/ likely shot....then let’s consider. A few dollars, and a little time can convert a 2” at a 100 yard rifle to a 1” rifle. The 2” @ 100 rifle, then becomes a 6” (likely) group at 300 yards, under the best of conditions. Now throw in, that
most shooters from field positions are likely to triple their 100 yard group at 300 yards. There are, obvious, exceptions to my assumptions. If the “planets are aligned against the hunter) a deer at 300 could very easily be missed or wounded. The odds of a miss/wounding are substantially lowered with the 1” rifle, all else being equal! My math may not be perfect.... but I bet that it’s realistically close! memtb

Even about the 162 interlock.

I don't know about others, but I load them like I'm going to be be shooting 600 yards. For a fast 7mm, that's exceptionally important.